Evidence at former quarry could help unlock secrets of Neanderthal Britain

Baker’s Hole holds vital clues about prehistoric climate and early human occupation

Tests carried out by a University of Southampton archaeologist have confirmed a former chalk quarry, owned by Tarmac, holds vital clues about prehistoric climate and the early human occupation of the UK.

Dr Francis Wenban-Smith has identified palaeo-environmental remains, such as ancient snail shells and bones of extinct voles, in sediment samples he excavated from Baker’s Hole, an archaeological site near Ebbsfleet International railway station in Kent.

Similar remains, still buried there, could help unlock a wealth of knowledge about the nature of the climate 250,000 to 200,000 years ago and how this affected Neanderthals colonising the area during this period. [...] University of Southampton